Tack-supplying mechanism



1,631,134 1927' B. JORGENSEN TACK SUPPLYING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 29, 1922 Patented June 7, '1927.

* UNITED STATES 1,631,134 PATENT OFFICE;

BERNHARDT JORGENSEN, OE BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACEINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW' JERSEY.

TACK-SUPPLYING MECHANISM.

Application filed December 29, 1922. Serial No. 609,666.

This invention relates to tack supplying mechanism, and more particularly to means for maintaining a flow of tacks in a raceway. In the use 01 such mechanism a tack may sometimes become misplaced, so asto obstruct the flow of tacks along the raceway, for example by engaging the cover plate at the entrance to the covered portion of the raceway. It is customary, therefore, to provide means for dislodging misplaced tacks, a wellknown form of such tack clearing means being shown in Letters Patent No. 1,107,337, granted on August 18, 1914, upon an application of R. F. McFeely. It sometimes happens, however, particularly if the race; way is Full of tacks, that a misplaced tack will oppose such resistance to the movement of the tack clearing mechanism as to stop the operation of that mechanism, and the operator may fail to notice such a condition until the tacks in the raceway below the obstruction are used up and tacks-are no longer delivered to the driving means. In attempting, moreover, to remove the obstruction by manual movement of the tack clearing mechanism the operator maybend one or more of the tacks in the raceway. It also sometimes happens that a tack becomes lodged between relatively movable parts of the tack clearing mechanism itself and thus renders it inoperative.

It is an object of the present invention to provide tack clearing mechanism which will not be subject to disadvantages such as those above mentioned and which will be more certain and effective in its action than heretotore. struction which will be simple and ineXpensive to build. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the objects in view are accomplished by a novel construction and arrangement including provision for yield of tack clearing member in response to abnormal resistance. WVhile the invention, in some of its aspects, is not limited to the particular construct-ion shown in respect to the manner of yield of the tack clearing member, important advantages, in some respects, are obtained by the use of a member of resilient material, for example spring metal, secured to its support or carrier. Among other advantages,- t his minimizes danger of interference with the operation of the mechanism by lodgemeut of tacks bethis invention,-.and

,F-ig. 2 1s a vertical section illustrating more 111 detailthe construction and mode of It is also an object to provide a con-.

shaped to provide a projection for engage ment with the tacks. If desired, a plurality of fingers may be arranged in a series, as. herelnshown, although the lnvention is not limited to such an arrangement.- In case a finger fails to dislodge a tack which has become lodged in an abnormal position, the

operation of the tack clearing means will not be stopped but the tack will be subjectedto repeated impulses tending to dislodge it. Experience'has demonstrated that this will usually result in dislodging the obstruction,

and in any event the force applied will not bend the tacks.

The invention will now be more particu larly described by reference to the accom v panying drawings, and the novel features.

willthen be set forth in the, claims.

In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewwof tack supplying mechanism including tack clearing means, constructed in accordance with operation of the clearing mechanism.

The invention is herein illustrated in its application to tack supplying mechanism'of a well-known type illustrated. in said prior patent, including a rotary tack hopper 2 and a plurality of inclinedrace ways i the upper ends of which extend into position to re ceive tacks which fall from the hopper, the lower portions of the raceways having a cover plate 6 extending over them and provided with grooves 8 which permit the heads of the tacks to pass down the racevays to the usual tack separator. Mounted over the raceways and the cover plate 6 is tack clear ing mechanism, comprising a rotatable carrier 1 0 arranged with its axis at right-angles to the raceways. ments are imparted to the carrier 10 in the direction of the arrow by operating mechanism shown at 12, this operating mechanism being constructed as shown in the prior patent.

Mounted on the carrier 10 in operative Intermittent turning move.

and described.

greater portion of its length the finger isspaced from the carrier so that it may yield transversely of the raceway, i. e., toward the axis of the carrier. 'lhe transverse projection 18 is herein shown as ii-shaped to permit it to enter the groove oi the raceway, and the cover plate 6 is provided with a similarly shaped groove 20 in the plane of the raceway along which the projection 18 moves before it reaches the raceway.

In the operation of the mechanism, in case a tack becomes misplaced, for example g by engaging the edge of the cover plate 6 at the entrance to the covered portion of the raceway, so as to hold back the series oi tacks in the upper portion of the raceway, it will be engaged and usually dislodged by one of the tack clearing fingers. If the finger should fail to dislodge the tack, the finger will yield and ride over the tack, and thereafter the tack will be engaged with repeated impulses as the fingers arrive successively in operative position until it is finally dislodged.

It will be evident that the invention is not limited to the use of fastenings ot the particular character herein shown, but is ap plicable also to mechanism for utilizing nails and other like fastenings which the term tack as herein used is intended to include.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In tack-supplying mechanism, the combination with a raceway for tacks, of a tackclearing device comprising a finger 01": resilient material operatively movable in the general direction of its length along the raceway to dislodge misplaced tacks and having a tack-dislodging face at an angle to the length of a portion of the finger located in advance of said face in the operative movement of the finger, said finger being yiedlable in a direction away from the raceway in response to abnormal resistance or the tacks to its movement along the raceway.

2. In tack supplying mechanism, the combination with a raceway, of a tack clearing member for dislodging misplaced tacks by relative movement between said member and the raceway in the direction of the length of the raceway, said member comprising a bination with a raceway, of a tack clearing member for dislodging misplaced tacks by relative movement between said member and the raceway in the direction of the length of the raceway, said member comprising a finger formed of spring metal arranged to extend in the general direction of the length of the raceway when in tack dislodging posi-' tion and having a projection dlrected trans-' versely 01 the raceway for engagement with the tacks.

4:. In tack supplying mechanism,the combination with a 'aceway, of a tack clearing member nounted to move lengthwise of the raceway for dislodging misplaced tacks and arranged to swing yieldingly to permit itto ride over a tack that presents an abnormal obstruction to its operative movement, said member having a V-shaped projection for engaging the tacks.

5. In tack-supplying mechanism, the combination with a raceway for tacks, of means for di lodgii'ig misplacedtacks from the race way, said means comprisin a rotatable car rier and a tack-clearing finger of resilient material on said carrier so formed as to enter the raceway and to engage and dislodge misplaced tacks and arrangedtoextend in the general direction of the length of the raceway when in tack-dislodging position, said finger being yieldable towardthe axis of the carrier in response to abnormal resistance of the tacks to its movement along the raceway.

6. In tack supplying mechanism, the combination with a raceway, of means for dislodging misplaced tacks from the raceway, said means comprising a movable carrier and a tack clearing finger of spring metal secured at one end to said carrier and hav- 7 ing its other end spaced from the carrier and provided with a transverse projection for engaging the tacks.

7. In tack supplying mechanism, the combination with a raceway, of means for dislodging misplaced tacks from the raceway, said means comprising a carrier rotatable about an axis extending transversely of the raceway, and a tack clearing finger of spring metal secured to said carrier and having a transverse tack engaging projection thereon, said finger being yieldable toward the axis of the carrier in response to abnormal resistance to its operative move ment.

8. In tack supplying mechanism, the combination with a raceway, of means for dislodging misplaced tacks from the raceway, said means comprising a carrier rotatable about an axis extending transversely of the raceway, and a tack clearing finger of spring metal curved about the axis of said carrier and spaced for a portion of its length from the carrier, said finger having on its outerend a transverse projection for engaging the tacks.

9. In tack supplying mechanism, the combination with a raceway, of means for dislodging misplaced tacks from the raceway, said means comprising a carrier rotatable about an axis extending transversely of the raceway, and a tack clearing finger of resilient material secured at one end to said carrier and extending in a curve about the axis of the carrier in a direction opposite to that in which the carrier is rotated, said finger having on its outer end portion a transverse projection for engagement with the tacks.

10. In tack supplying mechanism, the combination with an inclined raceway and a cover terminating below the upper end of the raceway, of means for clearing tracks from the entrance to the covered portion of the raceway, said means comprising a rotatable carrier mounted over the raceway and.

provided with a series of tack clearing fingers of resilient material having tack-engaging projections in the plane of the raceway. 11. In tack supplying mechanism, the combination with an inclined raceway, and a cover terminating below the upper end of the raceway and having a groove in the plane of the raceway, of means for. clearing tacks from the entrance to the covered portion of the raceway, said means comprising a carrier rotatable about an axis extendin transversely of the raceway, and atac clearing finger of resilient material secured to said carrier and yieldable toward the axis of the carrier, said finger having a transverse projection to enter said groove in the cover. 7

In'tes timony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

BERNHARDT J ()RGENSEN. 

